Alternative Energy

Finding The Best Alternative Energy Sources For Life

What Are Some Alternative Energy Sources?

Energy is
what makes the world go around. Without the existence of energy nothing
happens. Energy makes life more enjoyable and more productive. We use
energy to travel across country, to work or to the store. Energy powers
airplanes, buses, trucks, trains and our family vehicles. It’s energy
that allows us to speak to a family member clear around the globe or to
search the internet anywhere in the world. Energy provides lighting for
us to see at night. It heats and cools our homes to make us comfortable.
The question is, “what is our source of energy?” Traditional energy
sources aren’t always the best or the most cost effective. That is
especially true with new technology at our fingertips.
So what are alternative energy sources? Finding alternative sources of energy is now easier than ever
before. There are a number of sources of
alternative energy available
to us today.

Renewable Energy Or Alternative Energy?

The terms
“renewable energy” or “alternative energy” are often used synonymously,
but they aren’t always the exact same thing. All renewable energy is
considered an alternative energy source, but not all alternative energy
is considered renewable. The definition of renewable energy is any
energy source that is automatically renewed from natural processes,
either directly or indirectly from the sun or other natural phenomenon.
These sources would include geothermal power, photochemical energy or
photoelectric energy. Other sources of renewable energy are wind,
hydropower, photosynthetic energy or even tidal energy. Renewable energy
does not include any energy resources that are derived from fossil
fuels, any waste product of fossil sources, or any waste product that is
derived from any inorganic source.

Alternative Energy Sources

List

Alternative
Energy does also include resources that are derived from fossil fuels.
An alternative energy would be any energy source that isn’t typically
used as a device’s means of power. Natural gas would be considered an
alternative energy source for vehicles but would be considered a typical
energy source for heating of homes. Solar energy and wind energy are
both renewable energy resources and also alternative energy sources.
Since gasoline and diesel fuel are typical fuels for vehicles, other
energy sources used for that purpose would be considered alternative.
These would include solar, electric, hybrid, propane, or compressed
natural gas (CNG).

Alternative Energy For Cars

In recent
years, hybrid cars have become much more popular. The alternative fuel
source for these hybrid cars is electricity, which is derived from
battery packs installed within the vehicle. There are other hybrid types
of vehicles that aren’t as common are hybrid gasoline and propane (LPG).
Kia has its new Picanto Bi-fuel compact car that uses propane.
There are other types of hybrid
vehicles as well. There are the vegetable oil and diesel vehicles along
with solar & electric, or solar and battery. Hybrid cars that use
battery power normally utilize a rechargeable nickel-metal hydride
(NiMH) battery pack.

Solar cars
have been developed by individuals and companies for private use for
many years now, but these cars aren’t a viable option for the average
person at this time.

There are a
number of electric cars in production now. Several major car
manufacturers are now offering electric cars for an alternative energy
vehicle. The Nissan Leaf is a four door hatchback with a 100 mile range
on a fully charged battery. The 80kW electric motor develop a maximum
speed it about 90 mph. It takes approximately 8 hours to complete a full
charge on the vehicle. It uses a Li-ion battery that was developed by
NEC. The sticker price starts at about $28,000.

The Chevy
Volt is also a four door hatchback. This car gets approximately 400
miles from a single charge and will travel at speeds up to 100 mph. The
MSRP on this electric car is as low as $31,645.

The Ford
Focus Electric is a five-passenger all electric vehicle with a combined
fuel efficiency rating of over 100 MPG equivalent. It has a 240-volt
charging station that achieves a full charge in half the time of the
Nissan Leaf.

Toyota Prius
PlugIn is another electric car that can be charged via a home outlet but
its range is limited to less than 50 miles on a single charge. The price
of this vehicle is about $45,000. There are also many other manufactured
electric cars available today.

Another good
alternative energy for vehicles is natural gas. Currently the only
natural gas car for sale is the Honda Civic GX. This car has been in
production for over a decade and has the cleanest burning engine of any
non-electric car. Natural gas is about half the price of regular
gasoline and is in abundance right below our feet. The U.S. alone has
enough natural gas to last us 100 plus years.

Alternative Energy For Homes

There are
two typical sources of power for homes. One that is standard for all
homes is electricity. For heating water and/or home heating, one of two
energy sources is normally used. Some use Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG)
otherwise known as propane while most use Compressed Natural Gas. Two
options are available for alternative energy for electrical power for
homes. One is wind energy. Although this would be an option for an
individual living on acreage in some rural areas to install their own
windmills, most windmills used today for electrical power are
commercially installed and tied into the electrical grid.

The other
viable option for most individuals who own their own home is finding solar
panels for sale. Solar energy systems can be installed on the roofs of most
homes. Solar photovoltaic panels collect the sun’s rays and convert it
to electrical energy. This energy starts as Direct Current (DC) and is
converted into Alternating Current (AC) by an inverter. This energy is
then used to power the home. Any extra current produced is fed back into
the grid, which is used for a storage source.

Another
alternative way to use solar energy is to install your own battery
system to collect any unused energy. That energy can then be fed back
into the home energy system as needed. This is much more bulky and more
expensive than utilizing the grid as a backup. If you really want to
save money, you might consider
diy solar panels for home use.

There are a
number of alternative energy
sources for the home and vehicles.
Finding the alternative sources
of energy that best fit your needs is the key. When looking at
alternative sources of energy, evaluate both the initial cost of
installation as well as the cost of operation over the long haul.